The Old College Try
by Lariren-Shadow
Summary: Korra and Mako are paired up on a class project. Makorra College AU.


**A/N**: This is over a month late and I'm so sorry **strongkorra**! This is your gift for the Makorra gift exchange on tumblr. But here it is and all I can say is I...ended up going to LA a lot in the past month (*cough*art show and q&amp;a*cough*) and that really isn't a good excuse. I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own.

* * *

"Welcome, students, to History of the Hundred Year War. I'm Professor Raiko and this is my teaching assistant Iroh," the professor gestured to the younger man beside him and Korra immediately knew who was going to actually be teaching the class. "Now for what you most want to know: your grade will be made up of three things. Ten percent will be participation, sixty percent will be a 10 to 12 page research paper, and thirty percent will be a two person presentation on a topic of your choice that relates to the time period and yes, you have to use books and not just the internet. I will be assigning partners next class-" Korra immediately put her hand up. Raiko sighed loudly. "Yes, Korra?"

She didn't even question how he knew her name and entirely ignored some of the whispers. "You're assigning partners?"

"Yes, I found it much simpler than letting students pair up on their own. Plus it builds character to work with someone you don't know."

"But what if-"

"Even the Avatar has to learn to get along with someone they might not like. Now the required reading." Korra tuned Raiko out and slumped in her chair. It was exactly a secret she was attending the University of Republic City but there were some drawbacks to being the Avatar and a college student. For starters she was allowed to live in the dorms but everyone in her building had to have a background check. She didn't get assigned a roommate: she had a rotating guard.

"Do you think it's fair for her to be taking the class," she heard a guy whisper.

"Why?" A girl answered.

"Because she can, like, talk to Avatar Aang about everything!"

"Then I want to get her as my partner for the project. We can have an interview with Aang!"

Korra rolled her eyes. Of course someone would think that. She wondered if anyone in the class realized she could, conceivably, also talk to Roku.

Raiko dismissed the class early, stating they needed to get going on the reading and he'd see them in the next class when their partners would be announced. Korra quickly gathered her bag and almost sprinted out the door. She had about a half an hour before her guard needed the 'I'm not dead' text message. Which meant she could explore the campus a little. It was a warm fall day and the thought of being inside practicing bending was, for once, unappealing to Korra. She'd much rather make a scene and waterbend in the fountain or rearrange the quad with some earthbending. But there were no bending signs everywhere and, Avatar or not, she was pretty sure she didn't want to get in trouble for bending outside the bending gym.

She was about to wander around more when she felt her phone vibrate. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket and read the text from her guard. She had to go back to her room until her bending sessions began. Korra walked as slowly as possible back, hoping bending would at least make the day better.

* * *

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for," Professor Raiko said with ten minutes left in class. "I will put up the sheet with pairings. They were all random and you cannot change unless someone drops the class. If that happens we might end up with a group of three."

Korra jumped out of her seat and shoved her way between the other students to see who she was paired with.

"Mako," she said out loud.

"Aw man, I wanted to be paired with the Avatar," a boy complained.

"Wait, who is Mako?" Korra looked around, waiting for someone to raise their hand.

"That would be me," said a tall boy.

"Oh, good. So I'm Korra and it looks like we're going to be-"

"Working together. Listen, I get you're the Avatar and everything but don't think I'm going to do all the work for you. We're going to split this, fifty fifty, and if you have a problem with that then I'm going to make it perfectly clear to Raiko who did what," Mako said.

"Slow down there, grumpy pants. I was just trying to introduce myself."

"Next week I'll pass around a sheet to sign up for your day and topic. Have a few to choose from just in case your idea gets picked."

"Maybe we could discuss some ideas over coffee?" Korra suggested.

"Just give me your number and email address and I'll let you know a good time to discuss or maybe we can just do this all by email."

"Sorry I'm such a pain to be around," Korra said acidly.

Mako walked over to his desk and shoved his notebook and book in his bag. He stomped back over to her. Korra held her ground and glared up at him. "Sorry, _Avatar Korra_, but some of us have to get to their shifts at the library for work study. Then they have about three hours during which they have to do their homework and eat before sitting in a car or inside the Golden Phoenix for five hours waiting for someone to call for a delivery. Some of us have jobs."

"Excuse me for wanting to do well on this project. Here," she opened her notebook and tore about a page. She wrote down her number and email address. "If you find time in your schedule when you think you can maybe talk about this project that is worth thirty percent of our grade." She shoved the paper at him and left.

"Annoying jerk," she muttered as she walked back to her dorm, completely ignoring the fact that she also found him attractive.

* * *

Later that night her phone chimed with a new text. "Hi, this is Mako," it read, "things are going kind of slow tonight. If you want you can come down to the Golden Phoenix and have some half priced food while we discuss possible topics."

Korra quickly typed back that she would be there soon. She shoved her wallet in her backpack and grabbed a jacket from her closet. "I'm going to work on a class project," she said to her guard. "I'll be back before curfew." The guard nodded.

Ten minutes later Korra walked into the out dated "seating portion" of the Golden Phoenix. The mustard yellow booths and the flax stone tables had seen better days. The walls were lined with pictures of the food that looked almost appetizing. Mako sat at the table closest to the counter.

"I'm here," she said as she slid in the the booth opposite him.

"I can see. Do you want anything?"

Korra glanced at the pictures on the wall. "Just some egg rolls for now," she said. Mako stood and went into the kitchen. Korra picked at the plastic lining on the edge of the table, intent on prying it off.

"Destroying things?" Korra jumped as Mako placed a bag of egg rolls in front on her.

"No, just bored." She bit into an egg roll. It was hot but tasted amazing anyway. "Did you have a topic in mind?" She asked, her mouth still half full.

"I did. Avatar Aang dealt with a lot of spirits so I was thinking we could do a presentation on them and how each caused a problem he had to fix."

Korra swallowed the last of her food. "That's...a great topic," she said half heartedly.

"You have another?"

"I'd just rather not do a project about Aang."

"Ok so come up with something else."

"The first colonies in the Earth Kingdom."

Mako rolled his eyes. "Everyone is going to want to do that and we're going to need a list."

"That can be at the top of the list."

"Fine, did you bring something to write this down with?" Korra rummaged in her bag for her notebook. "So colonies, then spirits. We need a third option."

"Sozin and Azulon's destruction of traditional Fire Nation culture?" Korra offered.

"Or maybe something about Roku-"

"No."

"Why don't you want to research your past lives?"

"You just answered why!" Korra shouted.

"Calm down!"

"Fine," she huffed. "Look growing up I had to learn all about my past lives and it was always 'Aang this' or 'Roku that' or 'do you want to know about the festival Yangchen loved?' I'm so sick of my past lives and being told to be like them."

"Oh," Mako looked down at his hands. "Fine we can have yours as the third option."

"Great! So we have topics picked out and maybe we can figure out how-"

"Mako, orders!" One of the cooks called.

"That's my cue. I'll see you in class," he said as he stood.

"I can come with you," she offered.

"No need."

"Fine, I guess I'll see you in class." Korra put away her notebook and, bag of egg rolls in hand, left to go back to her dorm.

She walked as slowly as possible but still managed to get back too quickly. "You can have the last one," she told her guard as she handed over the bag.

* * *

Korra's knee kept banging her desk as she anxiously waited for the paper to come around to her for sign ups. Trust Professor Raiko to start at the other end of the room from where she and Mako were! Korra snatched the sign up sheet from the person next to her and scanned the list. "Oh no," she said loudly.

"Something wrong?" Raiko asked.

"All but one of the topics we came up with have been picked!"

"That's how this goes sometimes."

"It's not fair!"

"That is why I suggested you pick a number of topics."

"But I'm the Avatar I should be able to pick the topic I want!" Korra could feel everyone's eyes on her and she didn't care. She wanted to do one of her topics.

"No one is insisting you take this class and if you're going to have that attitude I think it's best if you find a different class to take," Raiko said calmly.

"I need this class-"

"I'm sure advisor will help you find another class. Now are you going to stay or leave?" Korra glared and angrily wrote the topic and her and Mako's name on the sheet of paper. "Now that everyone has signed up, class dismissed."

Korra bolted out of the classroom, intent on getting as far away as possible. "Wait up!" Mako shouted as she threw the door to the building open. "We're presenting about spirits, aren't we?"

Korra rolled her eyes. "No I'm this upset about Sozin's and Azulon's reforms. Look our presentation is in a month let's just bang this whole thing out one weekend and be done with it."

"You may be able to just throw this away but I need a good grade on this so I can keep my scholarship. If you're not going to take this seriously let me know and I'll do it all myself and just tell you what to say."

"I just want to get this over with!"

"If you're going to half-ass-"

"Shut up! I'm going to do my best on this stupid assignment!"

"You sure showed it in class today!"

"Why do you care you got your way!"

"I already told you!"

"Whatever text me when you want to actually work on the project." Korra didn't wait for Mako to respond.

* * *

Two days later Mako texted her saying he could work on the project the next day. She immediately texted back, asking where they would could work. He offered his apartment and she offered to bring any books she could find.

Korra arrived at Mako's apartment exactly on time. "I brought snacks," she said as she brushed past him into the apartment. It was small, the living room and kitchen were basically the same room. Korra flopped down on the couch and immediately a fire ferret jumped into her lap. "Who's this?" She cooed.

"That's my brother's pet, Pabu." Mako sat down next to her. "Did you bring your computer?"

Korra pulled her laptop out of her bag. "Yeah, where's yours?"

Mako's ears turned red. "At the library."

"You don't have one?"

"We have one but Bolin is using it."

"You only have one?"

"Just drop it!"

"Fine!" Korra opened one of the books she brought. "Did you have an idea what you want to focus on?"

"We'd go in chronological order, starting with Hei Bai. Then Koh and Tui and La, Yue can have her own page. The Painted Lady then the Mother of Faces and end with General Old Iron."

"Sounds good and that's an even number, we can each present a slide. I think we can bang it out today!"

"You just want to rush through this?" Mako asked as he picked up Avatar Aang's account of the War. He flipped to the back and began scanning the index for relevant information. "We should research today and then work on the presentation itself later."

"Why? We just get what we need and then put it together, a few extra notes so its not just reading slides and then we're done!"

Mako slammed the book closed. "Take this seriously!"

"I am!"

"Then don't blow this off!"

"I'm not! You can keep half the books and I'll take the other half." She shoved a few of the books back into her bag. "I'll put together Hei Bai, Yue, and the Mother of Faces you can do the rest. Have yours done in a week and I'll put it together." Korra stood and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. About a block later she felt a little guilty before reminding herself she'd done nothing wrong.

* * *

Two days later Mako texted Korra that his portion was done. Feeling slightly generous (and happy she'd just finished her portion) she responded saying that they could get together to put everything together in her dorm if he brought food. He said he'd be there in two hours.

"Did your guard have to interrogate me?" Mako asked as he walked into her room.

Korra shrugged. "I vouched for you but, you know, they have to be careful. Did you bring egg rolls?" Mako pulled out a white bag from his backpack and handed it to her then pulled out three more containers of food. "Excellent!" She flopped down on to her bed while Mako stood awkwardly in the middle of her room. " Now we just put this stupid powerpoint together, maybe write up some notes for the presentation, give it and then we're done!"

"Fine. I put my portion on USB drive. Just fit your slides into it."

"Hands full of food, you do it. Computer's on the desk." Mako dropped his backpack by the chair.

"No password?" He asked as he opened the computer and the screen flared to life.

"You're the first person to use it besides me," Korra said with a mouth full of food.

"Don't you worry that your babysitters will check your internet history?"

"Well now I do, thanks for that. Wait, do you check your brother's history?"

"Of course."

"Why?" Korra asked accusingly. "That sounds like a huge invasion of his privacy."

"I do what I have to do."

"That sounds stupid, let your brother be a kid and let your parents check his internet history." The only response was Mako clicking through her powerpoint. "You aren't going to try to defend your actions?"

"There's nothing to defend. I do what I have to do."

"So your brother has three parents?"

"Drop it."

"No you act all high and mighty all the time and I want to know what your deal is-"

"I've taken care of Bolin since I was eight when our parents died. So yes, I check his internet history because we were involved with some pretty shady things to stay out of the system for awhile. If he gets in trouble he's still a minor and can be taken away from me."

"Oh," Korra paused, "I'm sorry." They sat in silence while Mako put their project together.

"Done," he finally said.

"Good. So time to practice the presentation?"

"Sure, I guess. Any food left?" Korra sheepishly handed him a half full box of noodles.

"Ok so I figure with Hei Bai I can talk about the whole nature spirit thing and I guess Aang's interaction with him. You can go into Koh and Tui and La with the same thing-"

"Done, I have the note cards already written," Mako interrupted.

"For Yue I have a little background on her as a person and also as the Moon Spirit."

"I found the original legend for the Painted Lady so I can summarize that before going into the other information I have."

"The Mother of Faces and on to Old Iron and we're done! I don't think we need to practice this, do you?"

Mako shrugged. "Not really, just make sure that there's no weird pause between slides."

"I'll do my best. So are you heading out?"

"Yeah."

Korra bit her lip. "Look, again, I'm sorry you and your brother. If there's anything I can do-"

"Don't mention it."

"But-"

"No," Mako corrected, "that's what you can do. Not mention it."

"Ok but can I ask one question?"

Mako rolled his eyes as he pulled the USB drive from her computer. "Fine."

"Why did you try to stay out of the system?"

"Besides the obvious?"

"Huh?"

"You feel like you have no voice or say in anything and there's little you can do about it. Plus prospective parents are very willing to adopt earthbenders but a firebender? They didn't even care that they were separating us."

"I'm-"

"Don't say that again."

"Ok. So," she drew out the word, "do you want to firebend sometime?"

"I...uh...sure?" He said.

"Weren't expecting that, were you? I can get us some time in the firebending practice arena. I'll text you."

"A few times, my work schedule sometimes changes. Speaking of which I have to go."

Mako left and Korra flopped back on her bed. She hated how annoyed he made her but, at the same time, it also made her want to get to know him better.

* * *

"While Old Iron explained to Aang that humans would only destroy and spirits would suffer, Lady Tienhai helped reassure him that spirits don't die and humans can create as well," Mako said as Korra shifted slightly uncomfortable. She'd heard this all before but now everyone was looking at her.

Professor Raiko clapped, the same silly thing he'd done after every presentation. "Any questions for our presenters? Yes Lee?"

"Have you ever met a spirit, Korra?" Korra immediately hated the guy.

"Nope and if anyone else has questions like that I'd be happy to show you what the Avatar State looks like," she said sweetly.

"Korra," Mako whispered.

"No other questions?" Raiko asked. No one raised their hand. "Well thank you for the presentation. The next class we're going to be discussing the Battle of Garsai." With that everyone began packing up.

"Good job," Mako said.

"Is that a compliment?" Korra asked. Mako rolled his eyes. "You too, by the way. Celebratory cup of coffee?"

"Uh, sure?"

"That doesn't sound very convincing. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"I just don't know why you want to have coffee with me, we usually end up yelling at each other."

"Maybe I wanted to try a stupid coffee date," she said, "but I guess you're not interested so fine. No coffee." She grabbed her backpack and notebook and stormed out of the classroom.

"Wait," Mako called. She walked faster and tried not to jump when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "You said date."

Korra felt her cheeks warm. "Yeah, I did."

"But you hate me."

"I don't hate you," she said as she nervously kicked a pebble. "You aggravate me but I also think you're kind of cute and, well, you don't treat me like I'm Avatar Korra."

"Oh," he said and she liked that his ears turned red.

"That's it, cool guy? No snappy comment?"

"Give me a minute to think of one."

"Over coffee?" She asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I guess I can go on a date with you."

"Great!" She grabbed his hand and started dragging him down the sidewalk. "I know a great place and then afterwards we can go use the arena and I can whoop your butt at firebending."

"I'd like to see you try."


End file.
